The present invention relates to tools used in the installation of building construction sheathing materials such as gypsum wallboard. In particular, the present invention pertains to tools and fixtures for temporarily retaining wallboard and similar materials in place against a building surface to facilitate installation.
Gypsum wallboard has been used for many decades as a sheathing material covering interior walls and ceilings in many kinds of building construction. Such wallboard typically comes in standard sizes; the most typical being four feet wide by eight feet long. The size and considerable weight of such gypsum wallboard pieces create difficulties for installers, whether professional or amateur. Prior to being permanently secured, any sheathing material must be placed in proper position and held securely while permanent fasteners are applied. Particularly in ceiling installations, placing and retaining a large wallboard section while installing fasteners requires considerable effort. For this reason, in most situations, gypsum wallboard must be installed by at least two workers. Even with multiple workers, it is often the case that before a wallboard section can be securely fixed in place, worker fatigue results in shifting or misplacement of the wallboard.
Various methods and devices have previously been employed to address this problem. It is a practice of some professionals to use a wood installation frame to support a wallboard section. The frame is then used to lift and press the wallboard section to the ceiling joists. This method is awkward and does not provide easy adjustment. Various jacking devices have been also employed for supporting and then raising wallboard sections to a ceiling. However, such devices do not work well with vertical walls or inclined ceilings and are unwieldy and expensive.
For these reasons a simple device is needed for temporarily retaining gypsum wallboard sections, or similar sheathing materials, against an existing structure, such as a ceiling or wall. The device should be mountable prior to placing a sheathing section and allow the sheathing to be easily adjusted and then retained in proper position without human effort. Such a device should be effective for installations on vertical, horizontal or inclined structures.
The present invention is a tool which enables one or more users to install large unwieldy sections of sheathing materials in any of a variety of orientations on walls or ceilings or inclined ceilings. The invention provides a simple tool capable of temporarily holding wallboard sections in any of these situations while allowing final positional adjustment and permanent fastening. Because the tool can accomplish multiple operations, the number of tools required to complete a variety of wallboard installation jobs is reduced. Additionally, on large construction jobs, efficiency can be gained by allocating to certain workers the task of placing sheathing using the present invention. Different following workers can work continuously at the specific task of securing the sheathing in place. In this way all individuals can work more efficiently.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the tool has at least three support surfaces: a first surface is offset from a second surface and a third extends perpendicularly from the second. The first and second surfaces are mutually offset such that when the first is mounted to a wall structure, the second support surface is appropriately spaced to receive and retain the edge of a section of sheathing. The sheathing edge is positioned by a butting surface, between the first and second support surfaces. Guide surfaces are provided at the leading edge of each support surface to guide the sheathing edge into the space defined by an installed tool support surface and the wall structure. In the preferred embodiment, a mounting plate is secured to the tool body to allow the tool to rotate when the mounting plate is rigidly mounted to a wall structure. In alternative embodiments, a tool body without a separate mounting plate is used. A means of mounting the tool to a wall structure is provided, preferably in the form of a mounting hole through which a standard fastener may be driven.